"Put your seatbelt on," Louis muttered, clicking his own seatbelt in its place before flicking his fringe aside from his eyes. Harry nodded, swiftly doing what he was told before he turned his head to face the alpha with a big smile tugging up at his features. "So, any specific reason as to why you want to visit the city area?"
Harry glanced up at the question, playing with the rings embellishing his fingers before he answered, "um, you know how the plants I sowed in the backyard died?" When Louis nodded in response, he continued, "well, I was thinking, we could get plants that already have bloomed flowers from the nursery."
From his vantage point, he saw Louis nod his head in understanding. "Won't the flowers be damaged once it snows or even due to the cold weather?" The blue-eyed alpha questioned inquisitively which made Harry beam slightly. It seemed as if Louis was really showing interest in the things he liked and was actually paying close attention to what he was prattling about. "Well, I am thinking of getting winter pansies, winter honeysuckles, Christmas roses, snowdrops, winter aconites, and winter clematis." He listed off the flowers he had seen his mum grow in the winters in her sheltered conservatory outdoors.
"The winter's going to be harsh this time," Louis stated as he swerved the car to a right arch, now driving on the smooth thoroughfare instead of the muddy trails of the woods. Harry bit his lip in concern, knowing perfectly well how harsh winters could get up here in the north. "Young plants are much more vulnerable and susceptible to a light freeze, so if we get more mature plants, they will only suffer short-term effects, which can be solved pretty easily since plants are quite resilient."
"And besides, I was thinking of building a small garden shed, so you know they are somewhat sheltered?" Louis quirked an eyebrow at that, turning to face him fleetingly with amusement painting his features. "And who's going to build a whole shed?" Harry faltered at the frisky question, pinching his bottom lip in between his index finger and thumb. "Um, yo— me?" He prayed to any deity above that Louis didn't notice his tiny blunder but it seemed that his prayers must have gone to deaf ears as seconds later Louis honked out a laugh.
"Don't think I can build you a shed for your flowers, fleur." He noticed how Louis stiffened discernibly, seconds after he had uttered out the words. The tips of his ears went a bleeding crimson at the nickname that had accompanied the response. "Um, it's okay, then. I guess I'll plant flowers once the winter is over." He broke the heavy silence, playing with his wedding ring to distract himself.
"Yeah, that's probably a better idea." Harry heaved out a defeated sigh, slouching down while he turned his head to watch the trees sprint by them, not paying much attention to the soft groan Louis released. "Turn around, then? Or, maybe you can stop the car, and I'll walk my way home?" He suggested, craning his neck to gauge Louis' reaction. "Do you seriously fucking th—" He watched from his peripheral vision as Louis paused transitorily, his fists gripping the steering wheel in a vice-like grip, knuckles waning a vigor pallid in appearance.
"Don't you want to buy anything else from the market?" Louis questioned after a few seconds, voice heavy and tentative. Harry simply shook his head in response, a lip-quivering moue making its way on his face as he thought of how flowerless his backyard would look since the plants he had sown before had died due to vermin contaminating them. "Are you sure?" Louis pressed, turning around to gaze at him fleetingly before diverting his attention back to the road ahead of them. He nodded his head in affirmation, turning to look at the side of Louis' head in bemusement as the alpha turned to a left arch instead of going straight ahead and to the city locality as he had expected.
The thoroughfare transmuted into a boulevard as they entered the small village adjoining the pack lands. Harry had heard plenty of folklores about how this small village was all the Tomlinson pack had initially before they had proliferated their lands by fighting off trivial rivals which had equally small lands as them.
The village still held its traditional architecture, the deep-rooted and longstanding trees acting more like shields as they stood tall in front of the ancient edifices. The Victorian architecture was blatant in the houses by its unremorseful dedication to flourish and its baroque maximalist design albeit of having different styles encompassed into it. He watched the gaudy houses pass, barely making out the ornate gables and tipped bay windows of the buildings.
He had always passed the small village whenever he would go shopping in the city but had never thought of visiting it and exploring its insides. What a shame, he reflected. He turned around from where he had his face pressed against the window, confused gaze meeting Louis' amused one. "We are here, c'mon." The blue-eyed alpha murmured softly, collecting his phone and wallet from the glove compartment. Harry followed his actions, hastily exiting the car. He squinted his eyes at the sudden sunlight that seemed to attack his eyes as soon as he closed the door behind him, craning his neck to catch Louis smiling at him.
"We are going ring shopping," Louis announced, lifting his aviators up to his head before gesticulating towards the askew three-story building behind him. The building had mix-matched, red-colored bricks along with sliding sash windows covering its exterior. Harry could make out the touches of Folk Victorian and Romanesque Revival mixed into the style of the structure. It had strongly pitched roofs, a small cobblestone path leading to a large wraparound porch which made it look more like a house that someone resided in rather than a commercial edifice used to sell jewelry.
"C'mon, Zayn knows the owner. He buys his gothic rings from here." Louis spoke up, gesturing him to walk ahead of him as he put his aviators back to shield his eyes from the afternoon sun. The omega nodded softly, observing the painted iron railings circumnavigating the whole house with awe present in his eyes. To his right-hand side was a small bed of flowers, all blooming and permeating the air around them with a saccharine, florid scent.
"The house feels so jammed, doesn't it?" Louis commented from behind him, ambling down the path with his hands shoved inside the pockets of his trousers nonchalantly. He turned around with a scandalized look coating his features, eyes wide in incredulity as he stilled in his steps, just a step away from the porch steps of the magnificent house. "You haven't even been inside it," he responded, his eyes squinted in faux disgust to display his utter disapproval for what must have been Louis' attempt at initiating a small talk between them.
"Well, yes but there are so many bushes of flowers and they all smell like shit—"
"You can never have enough flower bushes!" He interrupted, appalled. He chose to ignore the squeakiness in his voice for the sake of his own dignity. Louis looked nothing short of surprised at the sudden outburst but shrugged nonetheless, his eyes squinted in mild amusement before he nodded his defeat, "yeah, I guess. Let's just go inside, now." He stayed still as the alpha brushed past him to ascend the three porch steps before ringing the doorbell.
Harry followed him, somewhat eager to add some hopefully antique rings to his collection. The heavy wooden door opened after a minute or two, a middle-aged beta greeting them with a convivial smile gracing her elegant features. Her blonde hair was pulled in a loose, messy bun near the nape of her neck, caramel-colored eyes shining like a goblet of whiskey in the broad daylight. Her petite frame was hugged by a black pantsuit, cherry-red lips pulled in a soft grin as she welcomed them inside the garish house.
The inside of the Victorian house was like everything Harry had imagined. The interior design was muddled, superimposed, ornamental and peculiar. It had a grand staircase with ridiculously high ceilings, the lavishly carved wood cladding enhancing its appearance. It was very pleasing to the eye, he concluded. His eyes then roamed around the room, catching in the attractive fireplace, the stained-glass windows, the heavy draperies, the decorative wallpapers, and the hardwood floors covered with soft rugs.
"You are a close friend of Zayn, I suppose?" The woman questioned, the polite and welcoming smile never leaving her features— not even showing the signs of diminishing. "Louis Tomlinson. A pleasure to meet you," Louis spoke, extending his hand for a handshake which the beta accepted with a firm grip of her hand. "Sienna Berlusconi, and the feeling's mutual."
"And this is my hus—"
"I am Harry Styles— er, Tomlinson, nice to meet you." He stammered, mentally kicking himself for the chaotic gaffe (it was an act of pure habit, he guessed. He had been so accustomed to introducing himself as Harry Styles that he had forgotten he was married now). "Nice to meet you as well, Mr. Tomlinson." Sienna smiled at him sympathetically before she turned around and gestured for them to follow her. They walked down the geometric-tiled hallway, Harry's eyes drinking in the Pre-Raphaelite paintings hung on the floral wallpapers. "My actual shop is down the street but since Zayn requested, I'll be showing you my special collection," Sienna stated, turning towards a right arch which led them to another hallway, this one having velvet wallcoverings which gave it more of a Folk Victorian touch instead of the Gothic Revival that the whole living room was enclosed with.
"Special collection?" Harry echoed, brows furrowed in confusion. "I inherited this business from my grandparents. When they passed it down to me, they requested to not sell some of the rings they had made or collected over the period of time." The beta elucidated with a smile, pausing near a mahogany door. She turned to face them before continuing, "it was to be given to the pack heir of the Tomlinson pack on his coronation but since you are the pack heir, I thought I might as well show you them."
"Er, I don't really like to wear rings. We were hoping to buy some rings for H—"
"The rings come in a set, sir." She interrupted courteously. Harry supposed her inner saleswoman must have come through the sophisticated lady façade. "You can have a look at them," she furthermore added, not giving Louis much time to decide as she pulled open the door, holding it open for them gallantly. Louis didn't hesitate unlike him, instead walked inside the study room with an elegant gait. He followed the alpha hesitantly, feeling a little better when Sienna reassured him with a soft smile.
The beta made sure the alpha-omega pair were seated on the long couch contently before she retrieved a small, cherrywood chest from the well-polished, dark cupboard that was placed just a few inches away from the couch they were sitting on. He caught Louis' gaze momentarily before Sienna was back again, sitting on the recliner placed in front of the coffee table that was separating them. Harry watched as she unlocked the chest with adroit fingers, revealing tiny, ivory ring boxes.
"These are typically made for an alpha-luna pair. If I am correct, you must have heard about the sun-moon analogy?" She inquired, looking up at them as she flipped open a ditsy box. While Harry was quick to nod his affirmation, Louis hesitated before giving a firm nod of his head. "These rings have sun and moon incised on them. I know it might feel a little bleak but the significance it holds— both, in terms of theory and history— outshines the bleakness in its design." She articulated, turning the box towards them so they could see the ardent rings.
They were cute, he mused. The crescent-shaped moon was carved perfectly in the center of the band, the ring was simple yet elegant in a way. The other ring had a flawless circle engraved on it, tiny straight lines emerging from the outer layer of the shape to make it imitate a sun (or maybe, so someone wouldn't mistake it for a fucking circle). He liked the sun ring better, he decided. "No," Louis spoke up when asked about whether or not where they interested in these. Harry hunched down, lips pulled in an involuntary pout as he waited for her to continue.
Sienna showed them rings after rings, from fire-water to virtue-sin, but Louis liked none of them (nor did Harry but he did like the red garnet and the pink tourmaline gems which enhanced the beauty of the fire and water rings). Sienna stopped when there was only a box left in the chest, a lost expression coating her unblemished features. "What are you waiting for?" Louis questioned derisively, jerking his head towards the last box in the chest. "It is not up for sale," she answered with an apologetic smile painted across her features.
"Can we at least see it?" He asked curiously. "These are peace-war rings, but the ring suitable for the alpha isn't tailored for a purebred." She responded but showed them the rings, nonetheless. They were absolutely perfect.
They were simple bands of silver. Peace and war etched on them.
"Why isn't it suitable for a purebred?" He heard Louis ask the beta but paid no heed to it as he examined the perennial ring in his hands. "It was customized for a rogue alpha and his omega back in 1869," she enunciated. "So, we can't buy them?" Louis questioned, twirling the somewhat honed ring with his index finger. "I am afraid not."
Harry sighed at her answer, shoulders hunching down in dejection as he returned the ring back to her. "Anything else you liked?" She questioned while placing the rings back in their holders with utmost care. "I liked the red garnet—"
"Would you like to know its symbolism?" Sienna questioned, an eager smile present on her face as she waited for him to answer. "Sure!" He chirped back, nodding his head earnestly. "My grandparents used to call it the fire ring solely because its element is fire, but I like to call it the healer." She started, excitement shining through her eyes. "As a spiritual mineral, red garnet heals, strengthens, and improves your relationship. Its red color symbolizes a sturdy love or romantic connection, and it carries the energies of passion and desire." She paused fleetingly, smiling wider when she noticed that the omega was listening to her attentively.
"It's also said to revitalize feelings, bring warmth, devotion, understanding, and trust to a relationship." She finished off. "I'd like this one, please!" He beamed, turning to face Louis with a wide grin on his face. "Would you like to know the symbolism of the pink tourmaline as well?"
"No, absolutely not," Louis answered this time about, shaking his head to highlight his repudiation. "Perfectly well, then. Why don't you try it on, and tell me whether or not does it fit?" She suggested. Harry nodded, slipping the red-stoned ring on his index finger, frowning when he realized it was a size too big. "Um, my ring size is actually 10, I think this is roughly around 11 or something." He spoke up, giving the ring back to the beta who nodded in understanding. "No worries, I'll get it fixed for you. I'll have this delivered to your workplace, Mr. Tomlinson." Sienna replied before putting the ring back in its box. "And what's your ring size? Why don't you—"
"I don't like to wear rings, we will take the other ring as it is."
"Perfectly well. This is my business card if you have any other queries."
Louis took the ebony card from her pallid hands, stuffing it in his suit jacket without another word. "What's the price for it?" The alpha questioned once they were all standing up, his hand fumbling around for his wallet. "Consider it as a gift from us, alpha," Sienna responded softly.
"No, we can't—"
"Thank you for your time, Ms. Berlusconi. It was a pleasure to meet you," Louis cut him off, swiftly grabbing his hand and walking out from the study room.
♚
So, i did a little mistake which i thought i'll let you all know. i've used "late winter sun" twice, but the timeline is actually supposed to have "Early winter" so like im gonna go change that hehe.
a little note: sienna plays a major role in the plot of the second book. (or her words do but eh)
THOUGHTS?
SUGGESTIONS?
also i was teasing one of my friends saying they have no sense of humor and she had the audacity to say and i quote, "at least my humor isn't as dry as larry romance in lilac" 😭😭🏃♀️
Q- do you think planting flowers just before winters is the biggest mistake?
Q- do ya think louis' gonna build harry a shed?
also, the red-stoned ring in the media above is the red garnet ring they purchased.